Gems of Hamilton – James Street North

What’s so great about James Street North? It’s only a street, is it not? Wrong. James Street North is where history was made in Hamilton.

James Street North wasn’t always called James Street. It was called Lake Street because it connected the town to the lake. It was changed to James Street to honor the first name of a son of one of the city’s founders.

James Street North holds an event on the second Friday of every month called James North Art Crawl. It is where you can explore galleries, shops and studios that call this historic neighborhood home. It is free, self-guided and a bunch of fun. This event has been held for over 5 years now and is turning into an event you can’t miss.

James Street North had a comeback around 2005 and 2006 when a couple of art galleries opened up. They galleries decided to stay open a little bit later on the second Friday of every month and from there the Art Crawl was born.

The Art Crawl event attracts all sorts of people, many wander up and down the sidewalks checking out the street vendors and going in and out of shops. There is music and a lot of chatter.

James Street North doesn’t just hold the James North Art Crawl. It also holds James Street Super Crawl. It is a weekend festival in September, of visual art and music that is a smash-up of local and international artists. This event is held this year on September 8-10, 2017.